The Bear Necessities
by Rebelcat
Summary: Not all anniversaries are cause for celebration.


**Author: **Rebelcat

**Story Title: **The Bear Necessities

**Gen or Slash:** Gen.

**Rating: **G

**Complete or WIP:** Complete

**Category: **angst, mush, smarm, run, run now, before it's too late!

**Disclaimer: **I am not responsible for your skyrocketing glycemic index, if you choose to read this story. Oh, and I don't own the characters, either.

**Feedback/Critique: **Yes, please! It nourishes me. But not like fertilizer nourishes Hutch's plants. More like burritos nourish Starsky's… oh, I need to stop now.

**Notes: **Big thanks go to EH for her good humored beta of this one, despite it having caused her to clutch her heart several times and go, "Awww…" Yeah, it's _that _sweet. You've been warned.

* * *

**The Bear Necessities**

He told himself that it was the second domestic call. The one where the woman refused to press charges because, as she said, "He loves me."

Then again, it could also be the hooker they busted who was offering a two-for-one special, "In honor of the season."

Or the overwhelming numbers of hearts, flowers and smirking baby cherubs infesting the storefronts and newspaper stands of Bay City.

Whatever the reason, Hutch was not surprised when he glanced up from his typewriter to find that Starsky had disappeared.

"Where's your partner?" growled Dobey.

"Bathroom?" suggested Hutch, though he knew perfectly well that Starsky hadn't just stepped out for a break. Starsky always announced his trips to the bathroom. He wasn't the kind of person who could make any kind of move without everyone knowing it.

On the other hand, Starsky wasn't the sort of person who could be described as morose, but today had definitely been a morose kind of day. Hutch hadn't been able to get more than a handful of words from his partner since morning.

"I'm almost done here, Captain," said Hutch. "Let me just tie up a few loose ends and we'll call it a day."

The teddy bear on the filing cabinet caught his eye. It had fallen over on its side, and Hutch was sure there was something accusing in the bear's expression.

Dobey harrumphed, but said only, "Tell him I want his last three daily reports on my desk by eight tomorrow morning. And no, the digest version is not acceptable. I want three _separate _reports." Muttering to himself, he stomped back to his office.

Hutch thought Dobey sounded almost as worried about Starsky as he was. Finishing his own report, he leaned over to retrieve the neat stack of papers from the top of Starsky's desk. His concern increased as he noted that Starsky had already cleared up the backlog. Over a week's worth of forms had been filled out in triplicate and sorted by date and time.

He briefly entertained the notion that his partner had been kidnapped by aliens and replaced with a not-terribly-convincing replica of himself. The thought made Hutch grin, until he realized that he was starting to think like Starsky.

Nature abhors a vacuum, he thought. Which meant he'd better get Starsky back to his old self, or the line of, "He's Starsky, I'm Hutch," would stop being a joke.

Ollie the bear was precariously close to falling off the edge of the filing cabinet. Hutch propped him back up before leaving the squad room.

"_Don't let either one of them change."_

Hutch grimaced. _I'm doing my best, darling._

o0O0o

Starsky's apartment was dark when Hutch got there, but his car was in the driveway.

Hutch had started out this morning with a plan. It had gone something like this: take him out, get him drunk, get him laid, and pretend it was just another night on the town, not the almost-anniversary of the worst day of Starsky's life.

However, the moment he'd suggested going down to the disco tonight, Starsky had said, "Geez, Hutch! I don't want some one night stand with some girl I don't even know. That's not what love's s'posed to be about!"

Then before Hutch could start in on the peddlers of phony commercial sentiment who'd created this holiday just to turn a cheap profit, Starsky turned from the wheel of the car and said, "And don't go blaming the chocolate manufacturers."

There were definite disadvantages to having a partner who could read your mind.

Hutch climbed the stairs to the front landing, trying to come up with another, hopefully more workable, plan. Every holiday had its own rotten brand of sentimentalism, he thought, but maybe they could still escape the grip of this particular one.

When there was no answer to his knock, he tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. Cautiously, he stepped inside and reached for the light.

"Don't."

The quiet request made Hutch pause, his hand on the light switch. Squinting through the dark, he saw Starsky's shadowy form slouched on the couch.

_Great, he's sitting in the dark._

Hutch hesitated, debating whether to turn on the light anyway. Finally he shrugged, and made his way across the dark room towards his partner. He tripped over something and heard what sounded like a glass bottle rolling into a chair leg.

_And he's been drinking. This is getting better all the time._

"Watch your step," Starsky warned, too late.

When Hutch reached the couch, Starsky sat up and swung his feet off the cushions, apparently trying to make room for his partner. However, he misjudged the angle and slid off the couch, his rear end hitting the floor with a thump. He giggled. "Whoops."

Hutch dropped onto the couch and grabbed Starsky's arm, intending to haul him back up off the floor. "You big dummy..."

Starsky shook him off. "Nah, I'll just stay down here. It's safer. Not as wobbly." He fumbled for something under the coffee table.

His hand bumped into Hutch's leg, and Hutch reached down and caught a bottle just before Starsky dropped it on his toes. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness, and he squinted at the label on the beer.

"Have a drink," said Starsky, ever the courteous host. "I would have waited, but I didn't know you were planning on joining the part -- the party tonight."

"I was going to ask if you'd changed your mind about going out," said Hutch. He turned the bottle over in his hands, feeling the damp condensation on the cool glass. He had no idea where the bottle opener might be, whether in its usual spot in the kitchen, or lost somewhere in the chaos of the dark apartment.

Funny how Starsky always arranged his environment to reflect the state of his mind.

"What's the point?" asked Starsky. He shifted restlessly, trying to reach between his shoulder blades.

Hutch automatically stuck his hand down the back of Starsky's collar and scratched. He knew exactly the spot to go to, it was the scar of the bullet wound he'd earned in the Italian restaurant. Starsky made an appreciative noise and pressed back against his hand.

"You could go and get that _other_ itch scratched," suggested Hutch.

"Nah," said Starsky. "You do me fine."

Before Hutch could decide whether that statement was a non-sequitur, a drunken assurance, or an offer of something else entirely, Starsky spoke again.

"Do you ever think about her?"

"Who?" Though Hutch knew already. This time last year she'd been dying, a bullet lodged in her brain. In one more week they'd be facing the first anniversary of her death.

He heard a wet snuffle, from somewhere near his knee, followed by something that might have been a laugh. "Terry."

"Oh." Hutch's hand stilled on the back of Starsky's neck, as he tried to think of the proper response. He wanted to tell him that it was just another day, a date on the calendar, as meaningless as any other, but he knew it wasn't true. It wasn't about chocolate or crass profiteering, it was about love.

Only in this case, it was about a love that had been murdered, cut short before it had a chance to bloom. Feeling the warm weight of Starsky's head against his leg, Hutch wondered if the bottle opener might be somewhere within reach after all.

"Aw hell, Hutch, don't you got a date, or something?"

Hutch felt a rush of melancholy affection for the man leaning against his leg. Leaning over, he lightly kissed Starsky's forehead. "Guess what, you lucky devil. You're my date."

The sound Starsky made might have been a chuckle. He tilted his head back against the couch and looked up at Hutch. "I didn't buy you anything."

"I'll take it out in trade."

"Promises, promises." Starsky hooked his arm over Hutch's knee. "So, is this it? Is this all you got planned for tonight? Just hanging out with me and getting depressed?"

"Well..." Hutch paused, letting the suspense build. "I did send Edith a big heart-shaped box of chocolates, and a dozen long-stemmed roses."

"Huh?" Starsky straightened, half turning.

"I signed it, 'From your secret admirer.' Dobey's going to go nuts trying to figure out who sent it."

Starsky's surprised bark of laughter was a pleasure to hear, and for a moment Hutch allowed himself the luxury of thinking that the crisis might be past. They could turn on the lights, clean up the beer bottles, watch some TV, and maybe forget that there ever was such a thing as this crummy holiday.

But Starsky sobered too quickly, and his cheek pressed against Hutch's knee. Quietly, he said, "I think this has got to be the loneliest day of the year."

Hutch groaned, suddenly realizing that there could be another reason for Starsky's blue mood, besides Terry. "Oh God, Starsk. Tell me you didn't call your mom."

This time Starsky's chuckle was sad. "No, she called me." He paused, before adding, "Told me she loves me. Worries about me. Wants to know if I've met any nice girls, and says they don't even have to be Jewish anymore."

Hutch wove his fingers into Starsky's hair, feeling the curls twisting around his knuckles. After a moment, Starsky released a long, shuddering sigh.

Struck by inspiration, Hutch said, "Let's quit. I'll find you a nice Jewish wife who'll make your mom happy, and I'll get some WASP girl from a good family for me. We'll raise a whole pile of kids, and grow old and fat and contented, sitting on our porch swings, talking about the good old days."

Starsky lifted his head, without dislodging Hutch's hand. "That sounds awful."

"Oh, I don't know," said Hutch, with deliberate obtuseness. "It's the ultimate goal, isn't it?"

"Someday, maybe. But I'm not ready for retirement, yet!" Starsky sounded indignant.

Hutch smiled to himself, careful to hide the expression, even in the dark. "Okay, then try this one on for size. We keep on doing what we do. Maybe you find the girl of your dreams..." Belatedly remembering Terry, he added, "Again." Hutch's voice cracked and he coughed once, to cover the sound. "Or maybe you don't. Either way, eventually you grow old and fat and contented, and you end up sitting on your porch swing, talking about the good old days with... who?"

When no reply was forthcoming, Hutch gently patted Starsky's cheek. "Who's going to be there, no matter what?"

For a moment, Hutch thought he'd pushed too far. It was too soapy, or too dumb. He was just making matters worse, like that time he'd compared the life of another one of Starsky's dead lovers to the ephemeral character of nature's most beautiful creations. Starsky hadn't taken to that particular metaphor very well.

_Remember when you told me my girlfriend was like a sunset? Geez, Hutch..._

But then Starsky caught Hutch's hand and kissed the palm. His voice was rough, as he said, "You."

Another wet snuffle followed the first, and Hutch leaned back on the couch, relieved. He laid his hand back on Starsky's hair, and didn't call attention to the fact that his knee was growing damp. He'd said what he could, and all that remained now was to see if Starsky would believe him. Really believe him, deep down inside where it counted.

He thought of his own Gillian, and of all the other lovers who had passed through his life. He even briefly wondered how Vanessa was doing, and if she'd found another man to love. And he realized that Starsky wasn't the only one who needed to believe.

Hutch lost track of the time, only gradually becoming aware that Starsky seemed heavier than he'd been before. Hutch sat up and peered down to see Starsky's head resting on the arm he'd hooked over Hutch's leg.

"Starsk?" whispered Hutch.

The only response was a quiet, congested snore. Hutch had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from chuckling.

He shook Starsky's shoulder, and said, a little louder, "Hey, Starsk!"

That earned him a slight shift and a confused, "S'okay, m'good..."

Hutch slipped his arms around Starsky and hauled him to his feet. "C'mon buddy, you're all played out. It's time for bed."

"Oh." Starsky was wobbly, but he knew where to find his bedroom, and got there mostly under his own steam. He flopped down on the bed, apparently determined to pass out fully dressed on the covers. Hutch heaved him up again and with some struggle, managed to pull his arms out of his shirt. His shoes and socks were easy enough to remove, but Starsky's tight jeans defeated him.

Deciding that it would have to do, Hutch folded the blanket over Starsky. He turned away, intending to clean up the living room.

"Don't go."

Hutch stopped. Starsky's half-open eyes were glazed with the kind of exhaustion only intense emotion could cause.

"I'm not going anywhere, buddy," Hutch said, reassuringly. "Your couch has my name on it tonight."

"No." Starsky reached for Hutch's leg, his fingertips barely brushing the corduroy. He tried again and managed to snag enough fabric to tug Hutch toward him. "Stay."

With a sigh, Hutch crossed over to the other side of the bed and sat down. "Are you sure? I kick."

Starsky's reply was to flop his arm across Hutch's waist, moving up to his chest as Hutch lay back on the bed. Starsky's head turned blindly, and he buried his face in Hutch's armpit.

"You know," said Hutch. "When I said I'd always be there for you, I didn't really mean I'd be your teddy bear."

He had a sudden image of himself, reincarnated as a blonder version of Ollie, propped up next to the other bear on top of the filing cabinet.

_Wouldn't Dobey be thrilled._

Starsky said nothing. His breathing was slow and deep.

Surrendering to the sentimentalism of the holiday, Hutch kissed the top of Starsky's forehead once more.

"Happy Valentine's Day, partner."

**End**


End file.
